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A. F. CUMINGS.

Stencils.

No.l5l,357. Patented May 26,1874.

MSN

TTF?? Wv'n/e our e J. [naemaz' ARTHUR F. COMINGS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF IIIS RIGHT TO ELIJAH I). PEACOOK, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN STENCILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l5 E357, dated May 26,1874; application filed March 27, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ARTHUR F. ComNGs, of Chicago, in the county of Cool;and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Stencils; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure l is a perspective view of two stencil-plates lockedtogether bymy improvements; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of one plate detached fromthe other.

Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in the severalgures of the drawings.

My invention relates to that class of stencils in which the letters orsymbols are each stamped or cut out of separate metal plates, and thelatterfjoinedtogether to form the word or combination of lettersrequired. These letter-plates are usually united by lapped joints, suchas tinners employ in joining pieces of tin or sheet-iron together, theplates being iitted together by sliding the laps within each otherendwise.

Such stencil-plates have hitherto been found obj ectionable for severalreasons, among which the following may be enumerated: First, the lappedjoints, in consequence of the closeness with which they fit, prevent theplates from being quickly and easily attached; secondly, these closejoints rapidly fill up with paint and dirt, rendering it almostimpossible to slide the plates together, or remove them from each other;thirdly, the plates and joints are liable to become bent, and thereforeinoperative, as they cannot be again straightened without great care andlabor; fourthly, no provision is made for adjusting the letters in thesame horizontal line, this being` wholly a matter of guesswork.

My invention has for its object to remedy these defects; and toI thisend it consists, first, in constructing each letter-plate with two ormore raised guide-catches along one edge, and corresponding guide-slotsin the opposite edge, so that two plates can be tted rapidly and easilytogether by slipping the catches of one into the guide-slots of theother, the act of uniting the two serving to clear the fastenings ofpaint and dirt-the fastenings are therefore selfcleaning; secondly, inthe employment of a locking stop or guide at one edge of a letter-plate,adapted to engage with a slot or opening in the adjoining edge of thenext letter-plate, when the two plates are united for the purpose oflocking them, together with the letters, in the same horizontal line.

In the accompanying drawings, A and B are two plates, having lettersstamped or cut through them. Near one of the edges of the plate B twonearly-circular catches, (l G, are stamped tout, the upper and lowerparts of such catches having projections or arms D D, which areattached, at their outer ends, to the letter plate. Correspondinglyshaped openings E E, for the reception of the catches, are formedl inthe opposite edges of the letterplates A, terminate-d above and below bythe slots F lr for the reception of the arms D D.

-H is a locking-stop formed on the letter- It will, of course, beunderstood that each plate is formed with the catches and lockingstop onone edge, and with the catch and stop openings in the opposite edge. Thecatches may be made angular instead 0f circular, if desired.

Among the many advantages of my invention are the following rIhefastening is secure, and, at t-he same time, an open one, so that nopaint or dirt is liable to interfere with it. It is also self-cleaning.There is little liability of the letter-plates bending at the fastenings, as at those points they are materially strengthened by the raisedcatches. The liability to bend, which is found very objectionable inthis class of stencils, is alinost entirely obviated by I myconstruction, While the advantage of adjusting the letters rapidly andeasily in the saine horizontal line is obvious to those having occasionto use stencil-plates.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. A stencil-plateprovided with raised catches and lugs or arms, in combination with anadjoining stencil-plate, having corresponding catch openings, Withinwhich the catch lits and slides for the purpose of uniting the platestogether, strengthening the fastening, and rendering it self-cleaning,vsubstantially as described.

2. In a stencil-plate, a locking guide stop, arranged to operate asdescribed, so that the letters in the several plates shall occupy thesame horizontal linewhen such plates are joined together, as herein setforth and shown.

3. The stencil -plate B, provided with the locking-stop H and the raisedcatches C C, having the projections D D, in combination With theletter-plate A, provided With circular openings E E and slots F F I,substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

ARTHUR F. GOMINGS.

Vitnesses:

ELIJAH P. PEAcocK, HENRY L. HALL,

